As SpaceX prepares to launch Starship Flight 14 in the coming weeks, work at multiple Florida facilities is expanding the program so the company can fly from LC-39A and eventually SLC-37.

What Happened

Work on the Roberts Road Gigabay is nearly complete after roughly 18 months of construction. The exterior is largely finished with only roof sections and larger glass panels remaining. Interior systems installation — including electrical, pneumatic, plumbing, HVAC, and transfer-aisle bridge cranes — is underway. Work stands are also being built; a few ship and booster stands have been constructed so far with embeds staged nearby for installation inside the work cells.

At LC-39A, crews are preparing to install a new hardened roof required for ship catches using an LR-11000 crane whose main boom has been extended and raised. Chopstick weight testing was completed several weeks ago alongside some higher-speed runs, though more high-speed testing may be required before SpaceX attempts a catch on the tower. Deluge trench system tests have already been run to dial in the setup, while top-deck deluge testing remains.

SLC-37A's launch tower is fully stacked with the newer roof installed. Crews must still connect internal plumbing, fill columns with concrete, and attach remaining hardware including the ship quick disconnect, carriage, and chopsticks. The flame trench center floor has been poured; ramps are next, followed by wall installation from preassembled sections nearby.

A pending permit was announced for Project Ignition: a pair of ship static-fire trenches planned northwest of current Roberts Road buildings off Schwartz Road. Those would handle only ship cryo and static-fire testing, meaning booster testing would likely occur at LC-39A.

Ship 40 has been loaded onto the Forte and departed Christmas Island after SpaceX engineers sampled its heatshield to assess reentry performance. The vehicle is slated to arrive in Brownsville by Oct. 8, though weather or other delays could push that date late.

Why It Matters

SpaceX's ability to operate Starship from multiple East Coast pads would fundamentally change the program's throughput and schedule flexibility. LC-39A gives SpaceX access to an existing NASA Kennedy Space Center pad with a legacy of Saturn, Shuttle, and Falcon missions, while Roberts Road provides dedicated vehicle processing infrastructure separate from launch operations. SLC-37 adds a second, purpose-built Starship pad that could eventually support simultaneous campaign cadence. The Project Ignition static-fire site would give the Florida campus independent test capability without relying on Starbase, Texas — reducing logistical bottlenecks as flight tempo increases.

The Bottom Line

SpaceX is working toward launching Starship from LC-39A in the near term while simultaneously building out vehicle processing and a second launch complex at SLC-37. Pad 1 at Starbase, Texas, is not expected to return to service until later next year.